theatre review - IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT - Don Bluth Front Row Theatre - March 22, 2018

Harmon Swartz and Katherine Martin
Photo Courtesy Don Bluth Front Row Theatre

Click here for more information on this production that runs through April 28th.

"The "screwball comedy" was a staple on the silver screen in the 1930s and '40s. One of the best in this genre, featuring witty, fast-paced dialogue and madcap adventures and also centering around the battle of the sexes or the struggle between the classes, was It Happened One Night. This Frank Capra directed movie wasn't only a box office smash but also won big at the Oscars, receiving the top five awards for Best Picture, Director, Actress, Actor and Screenplay. That screenplay, written by Robert Riskin, with additional input from director Frank Capra, has been brought to life on stage at the Don Bluth Front Row Theatre in Scottsdale in a production that is as rewarding, rich and whimsical as the original film, with standout performances by Katherine Martin and Harmon Swartz... " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

cabaret review - Christine Ebersole with Seth Rudetsky - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts - March 17, 2018

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

"Early in her career, two-time Tony winner Christine Ebersole served as both an understudy and a last minute replacement for the female lead of two big Broadway musicals. Last week, Ebersole found herself back in this position when she took over for Laura Benanti, who had to bow out due to a family emergency, for a concert with Seth Rudetsky at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts....Even after enduring a nightmarish 12-hour journey to get to Arizona from New York due to having to change to a later flight after mechanical problems on their first flight, Ebersole was in spectacular voice and entertained the audience with stories of her past, both comical and serious.. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - THE KING AND I - National Tour: ASU Gammage - March 20, 2018

Jose Llana
photo by Matthew Murphy

Click here for more information on this production that runs through March 25th.

"The classic musicals of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II offer rich characters, intriguing storylines and an abundance of well written and beautiful songs. Their 1951 musical The King and I, which focuses on the relationship between the King of Siam and an English schoolteacher in the 1860s, is full of intrigue and rewarding characters as well as an abundance of classic show tunes. The National Tour of the recent award-winning Lincoln Center production comes to Tempe for a week-long run in a production that is as rich and rewarding as Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved show. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

concert review - Rob Kapilow: What Makes It Great? Finishing the Hat: The Songs of Stephen Sondheim - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts - March 15, 2018

"I believe that Stephen Sondheim is the most influential Broadway composer of the past 50 years. He is a writer who is frequently praised for his intricate, complex and succinct lyrics that perfectly state what his characters feel and want to say. But what about his music?
Last week Rob Kapilow, a composer and teacher who for over 20 years has presented his "What Makes It Great?" series of concerts, was in Scottsdale to explore the musical structure of Sondheim's work in an evening that delved deep inside four of Sondheim's songs. Kapilow's concerts deconstruct and explore the music of famous composers, both classical and contemporary. This one was an eye-opening view into the mind of a brilliant musician..." -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - GIDION'S KNOT - Stray Cat Theatre - March 10, 2018

Alison Campbell and Shari Watts
photo by John Groseclose

Click here for more information on this production that runs through March 24th.

".Something very bad has just happened in Johnna Adams' Gidion's Knot, an intriguing drama that pits two very different women in a room for 75 minutes while secrets and truths are revealed about what led up to this unfortunate, horrible event. The room where the play is set is a fifth-grade classroom and the two women are the teacher of the class and the mother of one of her students, who just committed suicide. Though not a perfect play, Stray Cat Theatre's co-production with Tempe Center for the Arts is well directed with two actresses who exquisitely deliver nuanced performances full of heightened, raw and deep emotions....The drawback to the play is that...the debate never feels truly fair...Also, for a 75-minute one act play, the facts take a very long time to be revealed... " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET - Phoenix Theatre - March 9, 2018

Kavan Hashemian, Christopher Lash, Kurt Jenkins, Alyssa Chiarello, Bill Scott Sheets, and Austin Case
Photo by Reg Madison Photography

Click here for more information on this production that runs through April 15.

"Based on an actual event, Million Dollar Quartet documents one famous night in the lives of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley. Phoenix Theatre's area premiere of this upbeat jukebox musical features two dozen hit songs and four talented musicians who expertly embody these iconic rock and country legends. The end result is a crowd-pleasing, toe-tapping, thrilling and energetic fact-based musical journey to the past..." -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - NO, NO, NANETTE - Hale Centre Theatre - February 15, 2018

Click here for more information on this production that runs through March 31st.

"It may not be a well known musical today and the score only has a few memorable songs, including the standards "Tea for Two" and "I Want to Be Happy," but Hale Centre Theatre's production of No, No, Nanette amounts to two hours of sheer, infectious joy. The combination of a cast that dances and dances and dances some more, including a stellar performance from Sydney Davis whose tap dancing will put a huge smile on your face, with Hale's usual high quality creative elements, including Cambrian James' direction and choreography, instills the entire show with a tremendous amount of fun and makes for perfect escapism from the troubles of today.... " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - KINKY BOOTS - National Tour: Broadway at the Orpheum Theatre - February 16, 2018

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 18th.

"Kinky Boots, the five-time Tony Winning Broadway musical, is a fun and infectious well-crafted "feel good" show that features a beautiful upbeat score by pop icon Cyndi Lauper. About to celebrate its fifth anniversary of opening on Broadway, the second national tour of the show comes to Phoenix for a five-performance run and while this production is slightly reduced from the Broadway and first national tour versions, the cast is stellar and the message about acceptance and being true to yourself shines through brightly in full force.. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - DRIVING MISS DAISY - Desert Foothills Theater - February 3, 2018

Barbara McBain and T.A. Burrows
Photo by Leanne Brodie

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 11th.

"The power and strength of a friendship that develops between two people from opposite backgrounds is at the core of Alfred Uhry's powerful Driving Miss Daisy. This popular play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was adapted into the successful Oscar-winning 1989 film, is receiving an impressive production from Desert Foothills Theater with exceptional performances from Barbara McBain and T.A. Burrows.,,. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - HAND TO GOD - Stray Cat Theatre / Phoenix Theatre - February 2, 2018

Eric Zaklukiewicz
photo by John Groseclose

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 25th.

"If you thought the puppets in Avenue Q were filthy and foulmouthed, wait until you meet Tyrone, the profanity-spewing sock puppet from hell who causes plenty of havoc in Robert Askins' hilarious Hand to God. The Obie-winning, Tony-nominated Best Play makes its Valley debut in a spectacular co-production from Stray Cat Theatre and Phoenix Theatre, featuring one of the best casts I've ever seen in a Stray Cat show, led by Eric Zaklukiewicz who is brilliant as both the shy, troubled teen Jason and his hand puppet Tyrone, who has a ferocious mind of his own....Director Ron May scores once again in finding a cast who are able to exceptionally portray both the humor and heartfelt sides of this group of troubled souls ..Even though it is a comedy, the truth that May and his cast bring to this play and their parts is exquisite.... " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - HAMILTON - National Tour: ASU Gammage - January 31, 2018

the national tour cast
photo by Joan Marcus

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 25th.

"You'd probably have to be living under a rock to not know anything about the musical phenomenon that is Hamilton....With the musical on the verge of total world domination, the big question is, "does Hamilton live up to the hype?" The answer is a resounding "yes"! ...It's been a while since there has been a musical that has changed the way we think about the art form. I'd have to go back about 30 years to when Les Misérables first took the world by storm to find a piece of musical theatre that found a similar way to bring an epic story to life so vibrantly on stage. While Hamilton doesn't quite have the same emotional payoff that Les Misérables has (chalk that up somewhat to the slight disconnection from the audience to the cast that this show will face when playing very large venues as it tours across the country), it has an infectious energy and modern sensibility that Les Misérables didn't. Miranda's intricate and massive score, the use of the multi-racial cast, the vibrant and distinct creative elements, and Kail's focused and precise direction come together to make this an epic masterpiece. Hamilton makes history accessible like never before by using modern musical styles and a cast that is more representative of the make-up of America to humanize and breathe life into the people in our history books.. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

concert review - KELLI O'HARA - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts - January 27, 2018

Kelli O'Hara
Photo by Laura Marie Duncan

"This past Saturday night kicked off the first of four concerts in the 2018 "Broadway @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts" series with a sublime evening of song and story featuring Tony winner Kelli O'Hara. The series features popular Sirius XM radio host Seth Rudetsky as host and pianist, with a different Broadway performer each evening. Rudetsky draws on his expert knowledge of Broadway to engage each guest to speak about their experiences in an informative and spontaneous conversation in between songs. O'Hara's charming and spunky personality and soaring voice brought both plenty of laughs and poignancy during the discussion and her sublime and pristine vocal abilities were rewarded with not only applause but also a prolonged standing ovation at the end of the evening....Future dates for shows in this year's season of "Broadway @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts," are Megan Hilty on February 24, Kristin Chenoweth on March 17 and Vanessa Williams on April 7.. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

review - IT'S ONLY A PLAY - Phoenix Theatre - January 26, 2018

Tony Latham, Debra K. Stevens, Toby Yatso, D. Scott Withers, Pasha Yamotahari, Rusty Ferracane, and Ashley Stults
photo by Reg Madison Photography

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 11th.

"...Terrence McNally's comedy It's Only a Play... stars some of the top comic actors in the Valley. While the play itself is a bit long and includes a lot of famous name dropping and backstage drama that might go over the heads of those not well versed in the in-depth knowledge of the business of Broadway and New York City, it still amounts to a fun, charming and often times hilarious ride through the nonstop behind the scenes theatrics at the opening night party for a new Broadway play...McNally's characters are funny and interesting individuals that are fairly fleshed out and three dimensional, though they are also almost all narcissists who truly only care about themselves. ..Director Matthew Wiener has assembled a cast of gifted comedians who get some big laughs from McNally's funny script, though not every joke lands and a few aren't delivered as successfully as they could be. Chalk that up partly to the unfamiliarity of some of the names that are dropped that are very specific to New York and Broadway as well as the somewhat uneven tone and direction the play goes in the second half of the second act which pads out the play and shortchanges some of the humor of the show.... " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - CAVE BOYS - Paradise Valley Community College - February 1, 2018

Joey Whelan (foreground), and Jason Jones, Larak Rogers, and Taylor McMurray (background)
Photo by Courtney Kenyon

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 4th.

"Making its world premiere at Paradise Valley Community College is Anne Negri's Cave Boys, an intriguing 80-minute play set in France during World War II that's based on a true story. ...Much is said in the play about the immigrants who have come to Montignac from places far away and the confusion about whether they can be trusted or if their intentions are suspicious, and the similarity to the current plight of immigrants to the U.S. is especially relevant. Negri's Cave Boys makes a fine addition to her body of plays for young audiences and PVCC's world premiere production features a cast, direction, and creative elements that do justice to the important historical and true story on which the play is based. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

theatre review - THE SNOWY DAY AND OTHER STORIES - Childsplay - January 28, 2018

Nathan Alfred, Andre Johnson, and Savannah Alfred
photo by Tim Trumble

Click here for more information on this production that runs through March 11th.

"...I had a huge smile on my face throughout. While it provides a good introduction to the wonder of live theatre for children by using theatrical elements to let childhood adventures that youngsters can easily identify with play out it from of them, it also allows grownups to return to the simple wonders of childhood and experience just how enchanting and delightful the small moments in a child's life can be.. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)